Four-star Class of 2015 defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, the No. 31 prospect in the ESPN 300, committed to Tennessee on Friday over North Carolina in a ceremony at North Davidson High School in Lexington, North Carolina.
Tuttle is the seventh ESPN 300 commitment for the Volunteers, who have the No. 10-ranked class for 2015 and were pretty creative in recruiting Tuttle.
It is the second ESPN 300 prospect out of North Carolina to be landed by Vols coach Butch Jones. Derrell Scott of Havelock, North Carolina, also committed to Tennessee.
Tuttle, the fifth-ranked defensive tackle in the ESPN 300, ultimately picked Tennessee over the home-state Tar Heels in a highly competitive recruitment that also included NC State and Clemson.
Tuttle's uncle, former first-round NFL draft selection Perry Tuttle, played on Clemson's 1981 national title team.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Tuttle, a 2015 Under Armour All-America Game selection, made a handful of unofficial visits to Knoxville since January, including the Volunteers' season-opening win over Utah State. He followed the visit to Knoxville with a trip to Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels' win over San Diego State.
Tuttle is the third ESPN 300 defensive lineman to pick the Volunteers, joining No. 37 Kahlil McKenzie and No. 67 Andrew Butcher. Jones and his staff, who are working to build depth on the defensive front, have five defensive line commitments in the 2015 class after signing eight defensive linemen in the 2014 class.
The Volunteers have 23 commitments and remain in the running for No. 15 Tim Settle, No. 92 Micah Abernathy, No. 118 Ricky DeBerry, No. 162 Kyle Phillips and others.
